In: Chemistry
The mass of an empty filter crucible is 24.1 g. After collecting a precipitate, the crucible mass increases to 26.5 g. The balance measurement error is plus or minus 0.004 g. What is the ERROR in the calculated mass of the precipitate (i.e. mass of crucible + precipitate - mass of crucible)? Report your answer in grams.
The entities we are measuring using the balance are:
Since the balance is used for two entities, the error will creep into both of them. For a subtraction operation, the ERROR values are ADDITIVE, i.e. the final error in measurement will be 0.004g + 0.004g = 0.008g (plus or minus)
The error value gets added as many times as the instrument is used. However, the error in the calculation will depend on the mathematical expression used for the final calculation. If the formula used some logarithmic expression instead of simple arithmetic, we cannot simply add errors.
Please feel free to mention any doubts in your comments